Reviews with content warning for Adult/minor relationship - Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World

Hardboiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Haruki Murakami is mind-bending!

The description of the plot might dull the reading experience, since the novel is mainly plot-driven.
But here's some background information:
We follow an unnamed narrator into two different worlds - the Hard-Boiled Wonderland and The End of the World. The storylines alternate in chapters.
In the Hard-Boiled Wonderland, the narrator is a 35-year-old man who works as a Calcutec, a human computer/encoder that processes sensitive data. In this world, two organizations, the System and the Factory, fight over the data. The system employs Calcutecs, while the factory, which wants to sell data illegally, employs Semiotecs.
The narrator receives a new assignment and the story takes its course.
Meanwhile, The End of the World takes place in a minimalist setting - a town (also unnamed) surrounded by a huge wall with beasts, or rather unicorns, running around. All the people there have neither minds nor shadows and work only for the sake of working. The narrator is new in the town and is assigned the job of "Dreamreader".

In the first half of the novel, it is unclear whether the two stories take place simultaneously or consecutively. However, there are certain themes that appear in both stories that somehow connect them: Unicorns, skulls and paper clips.
Chapter 26 explains in detail the connection between the two worlds.
This made me root for the narrator to escape his fate in both worlds. Therefore, I was disappointed with the ending.

Nonetheless, Hard-Boiled Wonderland and The End of the World is a prime example of Murakami's magical realism. The novel explores ideas such as consciousness, unrequited love, the feeling of being trapped, and forgiveness. His signature writing style is evident. There are allusions to jazz, certain books and movies, and, of course, (unfortunately) misogyny.

If you like other novels by Haruki Murakami, I'm sure you'll enjoy this book as well.

Content Warnings

manel_'s review against another edition

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mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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tempus_edax_rerum's review against another edition

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hopeful mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Would have been a 5 star read if it wasn't for the wild sexism and body shaming.
Reading this book is like falling asleep, as your thoughts become more and more confusing, but you feel like you can still keep up.
I would recommend this one to you if you have a deep feeling of meaninglessness that you can't shake off, no matter what you do (wouldn't exactly say this one helps with that but i felt understood for once.)

Content Warnings

nzhuo5392's review against another edition

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adventurous reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Why must cis-het men keep ruining my books!!

Murakami's writing style and effortless world-building are standout in this book, but the removed sexualization of literally every woman the protagonist encounters is sickening, especially considering that one of these women is a 17-year-old. There's also a recurring disgust associated with women eating that serves a purpose, but remains deeply troubling nonetheless.

The book is alternates between two storylines that intersect somewhat predictably. Though I do wish Murakami's hints at the relationship between the two stories were a little more covert, I did enjoy the way he used these plot lines to paint a bigger picture about consciousness, the self, and emotional vulnerability.

Content Warnings

sh4llow's review against another edition

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adventurous reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

Content Warnings

bibliothecolle's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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